Inaugural Agtech Nexus event talks smart capital investments

DUBLIN, Oct. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- -AgTech Nexus, in Dublin this year on 8 December, will convene an international group of corporates, investors and tech startups with a spotlight on how to break into the rapidly growing European agriculture technology market. Presented by Global AgInvesting, AgTech Nexus will highlight Ireland's untapped agtech pipeline – which has seen over €1B invested over the last decade – with a focus on farming productivity, efficiency and sustainability, and the resulting opportunities for startups in the EU.

Event sponsor and agtech venture pioneer Finistere Ventures will elaborate on its recent launch of the €20 million Ireland AgTech Fund (IAF), partnering with the €8.5 billion Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, which is indicative of the potential held by the Irish agtech market.

"Finistere has launched a fund targeting untapped Irish agtech and attracting companies targeting the EU market because we see significant and different opportunities in this region, for example managing nutrient impact as ag output grows," said Arama Kukutai, co-founder and partner at Finistere Ventures. "We think Agtech Nexus will have a fresh perspective opening new targets for our portfolio and the new IAF Fund."

Qualified investors will discuss the unique opportunities in the booming global agtech sector, which has exploded to over US$3 billion in 2016 from roughly US$150 million in 2012, with presentations on dairy and pastoral farming, as well as an examination of environmental impacts. There also will be a showcase of curated tech companies seeking investment reflecting the specific EU focus of the Agtech Nexus event.

Importantly, Ireland is well positioned for increased growth in the sector. "We want Ireland to be the AgTech Island – a hub for European agtech," said Finistere's Kieran Furlong, who will serve as partner for the IAF. "All the ingredients are here – a long-standing, export-oriented agri-food industry; world-leading research at Irish universities and institutions; and, of course, the thriving IT, biopharma, and medtech sectors. Agtech is essentially the combination of all of these, so we see great potential for start-ups here."

Learn more at www.agtechnexus.com. Follow us @agtechweek.

Global AgInvesting, a brand of HighQuest Group, is the world's most well-attended agriculture investment conference series for an international community of investors, fund managers, operators and agribusiness executives. www.globalaginvesting.com 

CONTACT: Michelle Pelletier-Marshall, [email protected]

SOURCE Global AgInvesting